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Nominated for Premier's Award Georgina ready f o ultimate challeng By Henry Bury The Intelligencer Georgina Thompson remem- bers sitting in class in her graduating year at Loyalist Col- lege, wondering if she'd ever get a full-time job nursing job. Well, not only did she land a job, but she subsequently began her own community nursing business in Belleville. And now she's considering the ultimate challenge -- be- coming a doctor. "A lot of days I have to sit back and realize what's hap- pened to me...I can't believe everything that's happened to me for I'm doing the things I love," said the 45-year-old Thompson. Raised in Dartmouth, N.S., Thompson came to Belleville when her husband, Kenneth, was transferred to CFB Tren- ton. She was a Registered Nurs- ing Assistant but realized "being a registered nurse gets you so much more involved in patient care and dealing more one-on-one with physicians". So when her youngest son en- tered Grade 1, Thompson de- cided to go back to school too -- in the two-year registered nurs- ing program at Loyalist. She graduated in 1979 and worked for three years on the surgical floor at Belleville Gen- eral Hospital. "While at BGH, I decided to get my own community nursing business because there was a need for it," she said. She started All-Care Health Service in late 1982 in the liv- ing room of her Foster Avenue home. She had a staff of 15 RNs, RNAs and homemakers. Over these 20 years, the pallia- tive care business has grown to 420 employees with offices in Belleville, Napanee and King- ston and sub-offices in Madoc and Bancroft. She's now added physiothera- pists to her staff at William Street. "About 500 people rely on jour service and that makes us jfeel important," she quipped. Thompson, though, still prac- tices her nursing skills. She's a nursing consultant for Plain- field Children's Home and Iworks one or two days a week in the emergency department at Trenton Memorial Hospital. "Doing that for the past six years helps keep me up to date on new technology," she ex- plained. There aren't enough hours in the day for Thompson to do everything she wants to do and Today's story is part of a continuing series profiling Loyalist College graduates. Loyalist is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. serve on many community boards. She's on the executive for On- tario Palliative Care Associa- tion and County Hospice Association of Ontario. She started Regional Hospice of Quinte 11 years ago and re- cently finished her involvement CekBrating 25 years 1967 -1992 on the board of Community Care for Seniors and the Belleville and District Chamber of Commerce. The Thurlow Township coun- cillor is in her fourth year on Loyalist's board of governors. She's also one of four Loyal- ist graduates to be nominated for the prestigious Premier's Awards in recognition of the On- tario community college 25-year anniversary. "My last goal is to go to medi- cal school and end up working in a hospital emergency depart- ment. I'm taking some extra credit courses now through Queen's University and I hope to be in medical school some- time in the next five years. That would complete the cycle," said Thompson. P.?.